Could the province have done more to prevent some of BC’s wildfires? MLA John Rustad weighs in

As heavy rains, cooler temperatures, and hard-working firefighters have begun to gain traction in their efforts to quash hundreds of wildfires burning in British Columbia, questions about what could have been done to prevent the blazes still remain.

In today’s report, I sit down to interview Nechako Lakes MLA and leader of the Conservative Party of BC John Rustad to get his take on how the province could do better with wildfire response and prevention.

Like Rebel News, Rustad has heard from citizens impacted by the fires who feel that they have been punished for trying to save their own properties or provide resources for those fleeing from affected areas.

Canada wildfires. Interview with residents of Shuswap who were not informed that a back burn was going to take place in their area, and equipped firefighters told not to help the residents. Start at 2:35 to skip ads/intro/echo. pic.twitter.com/tEeyjXN9Qw

— Odessa Orlewicz (@OdessaOrlewicz) August 22, 2023

“I think the main concern is the disrespect that the government has had for people who have decided to stay behind and fight for their homes and fight for their property,” said Rustad. “The big thing I keep hearing is those people that have decided to stay behind are being basically held hostage. They're not allowing supplies through. They're being... forced out.”

Rustad also weighs in on the dominant narrative amongst net-zero-pushing political leaders and state-choice media, which paints Canada’s most recent wildfires as the product of climate change.

BC averages 1600 wildfires per year (42% man caused & 58% from lightning).

Inconsistent with state-choice media’s climate change theory is that fires in BC do not consistently increase as the years progress. pic.twitter.com/OJlunD9QFw

— Drea Humphrey - Prepping and Politics (@DreaHumphrey) August 25, 2023

In an email exchange with Rebel News, the BC Wildfire Service stated that there were currently 324 active fires burning across the province as of yesterday, 40% of which are classified as being out of control. Thankfully, no deaths associated with the fires have been reported to date.

If you’ve been impacted by the BC wildfires, you are encouraged to register with the Canadian Red Cross, which is currently providing resources for those with fire-related needs. If you would like to help support the Red Cross’s efforts, you can donate here.

Rebel News will continue to make sure the voices of the people most affected by the fires are heard. To do so, we may need to send a team close to the affected areas. To support the costs of our boots-on-the-ground coverage of current events, please donate what you can at RebelFieldReports.com.